Butterflies
by Callisto Firestarter
Summary: It was Seto's birthday. His nii-sama's. October 25th. It was the last birthday his nii-sama ever had. Smile, because you should.


_**Disclaimer: Nupe.**_

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SETO KAIBA AND HIGH PRIEST SETH.

Warnings: ANGST, WEIRDNESS, DEATH.

~

Smile. Flash. Picture. Frame. Time. Capture?

Smile. Flash. Fireflies. Red. Orange. Hurt. Pain. Watch. Smile smile smile smile.

Smile. Dark. Blue. Brown. Crimson. White. Watch. Captured.

**_Beautiful._**

~

The sound of the engine was deafening in the silence between the two brothers. Mokuba sighed, relaxing in the leather of the passenger seat in the car. New car. Birthday present for his brother. He watched as the street lights zoomed by.

"Nii-sama? Where are we going?" Mokuba looked up at his brother, who kept his eyes on the road. He was acting strange today. Or rather, tonight. It was his nii-sama's birthday today! Mokuba smiled to himself. October 25th. His nii-sama's birthday.

"Cemetery." Came the reply. Mokuba blinked at that. Why would nii-sama want to go to the cemetery for his birthday? They would be better off at home, eating at the dining table or watching a movie. Cemetery… Oh. _Oh._ Nii-sama wanted to go to the cemetery because that's where Momma and Papa were. He frowned slightly in remembrance.

He memorized how the cemetery was laid out.

The cemetery was in a secluded place, outside the city. You parked your car in the grass, and then walked up to the gates. They were large black gates with gargoyles etched on to them, as well as angels. Like a war between the two, because the angels had torn clothing and swords while blood dripped off the gargoyles' nails. After you walk in, you walk straight ahead. Past all the other tombstones with different families carved into the stone, and into another gate. It was scary, that cemetery. Always dark and gloomy, with gray clouds overhead like it was going to rain. But it never did. His momma and papa's tombstones were together and separated from everyone else. Momma's had an angel and rose etched onto it, while Papa's had vines and a sword.

The sword was for strength, the vines for peace. Angels were for happiness, while the rose was for sorrow.

Mokuba didn't know why Seto had made sure that those things were etched onto the cement. He never asked, though. Momma died while she was giving birth to Mokuba. Papa slowly withered away. They both had been very young. The day Seto had ordered both of the etchings Mokuba had been scared. His brother's eyes had been dark, but wise. As if they were thousands of years old, and Seto had seen much in the world.

The car stopped. Engine died. Mokuba unbuckled his seatbelt, and hopped out of the car. Seto was in front of the car, looking at the big gates. Mokuba looked into his eyes, and shivered. They were scary again, wise and unfocused. Mokuba slipped his hand inside his nii-sama's hand, and they walked through the black gates with the gargoyles and angels.

~

_You wait for my time  
Always wanting to be next in line  
To be me  
To see me  
To wonder what makes me  
I watch you  
Behind blue eyes  
Wondering how long it will take you to realize  
You can't be me  
You can't see me  
So don't wonder what makes me_

~

Seto scanned the area with sharp eyes, squeezing his brother's hand in reassurance. This was his own ritual. Every holiday or his birthday he would come here. _They_ would say he was holding on to nothing. _They_ would look down on him. But he didn't care. So what if he wanted to see his long gone parents? So what if _they_ said it wasn't normal? Let's face it; he wasn't very normal to begin with.

They walked past the tombs of the other families, and went through the last gates.

Seto crouched down in front of his mother's tomb stone, tracing the etchings of the angel, then the rose. Mokuba watched.

_"Saa, Momma, what kind of flowers are they?" Large blue eyes looked up at the brunette mother. She smiled down at her eldest child, and put a hand on her swollen belly as she stood up from her crouching position in front of the roses. She plucked one carefully from the batch, a pale blue one, and held it in front of the blue-eyed child._

"It's a rose," she said, "one of my favorite types of flowers." She smiled softer. "It's the symbol of sorrow."

"Kanashiino? Okaasan?" **Are you sad, mom?** Blue-eyes looked at her strangely, and she shivered. Her son's eyes were too wise sometimes. As if some old spirit had taken over her sweet child.

"No, Seto, I'm not." She smiled. He smiled back, eyes back to being wide and innocent. **SORROW**

"Nii-sama, look!" Mokuba said smiling. Seto blinked, shaking his head. A butterfly danced in front of him, and he held out his hand. It landed, wings fluttering softly. "Sugoi..." The coal haired child breathed out. Seto grunted, and put his hand near the gravestone, letting the butterfly sit on it. It didn't fly away; instead it simply fluttered its wings again. Seto stood up, and then crouched in front of his father's tomb stone. Mokuba stood next to him this time.

He traced the sword, than the vines. A short flicker of pain ran across his finger, and Seto pulled back. Blood welled on the tip of his index finger, where it had gotten caught on the stone. It welled up, and then rolled down his skin, landing on the grass. He shivered.

_"You cold, kiddo?" He looked up at his tall father, smiling slightly. He shivered again, wrapping his arms around himself._

"Just a little bit." His father laughed, taking off his own jacket and slinging it over his shoulders. It was much too large for him, he thought to himself as he slipped his arms in the sleeves.

"You need to start remembering your jacket, Seto." His father chided, shaking his head. Seto smiled.

"Okay, I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it." **STRENGTH.**

There was a small old-fashioned bowl in the middle of the two gravestones. It was an ugly brown, and rotten leaves and once crisp paper were in it. A dead butterfly was on the soiled paper. The brunette took out a small, folded piece of paper that he had hidden in his pocket, and set it in the bowl, over the butterfly. Mokuba placed a little paper crane on top of the folded paper, and they both stood up.

"Saa, nii-sama? Do you think they'll get the message?" Mokuba questioned, taking his brother's hand and leaning against him. Seto nodded, ruffling his hair.

"Hai, the butterfly will tell them." He replied, and they walked away. The butterfly seemed to stare after them, wings fluttering. It then flew over to the bowl, and landed on the paper crane. It fluttered its wings three times, and stayed there. After a moment, when the two brothers left the final gates of the cemetery, it folded its wings, and died.

"Happy birthday, nii-sama." Mokuba said, smiling at his brother once they got into the car. Seto gave a small smile back.

"Thanks kiddo, now get your seatbelt on. What do you want for dinner?" They drove out of the cemetery.

Mokuba frowned at him. "Seto, it's _your_ birthday! You have to chose." He shook his head. Seto raised an eyebrow at him.

"Alright, alright... Why not just ordering pizza at home? Nothing special, and I think one of the maids, Audrey was her name, bought me a cake." He shook his head as Mokuba giggled.

"I think she has a crush on you, nii-sama." The smaller one said, laughing.

"Doesn't everyone?"

"Yes, you are incredibly sexy, Seto. Sexy Seto, the S.S. Here he comes down the runway, showing off his lean body in one of the sleepwear additions!" Mokuba imitated a spokesman at a modeling show, laughing. Seto chuckled, shaking his head.

"Sure, kid."

A comfortable silence stretched on between them, and Mokuba sighed and sunk into the leather of the new car. Seto smiled softly over at him, and took his hand. Mokuba grinned, and squeezed it.

It was his nii-sama's birthday, you know. October 25th.

It was the last birthday Seto ever had.

~

"Hey Yugi, did you hear the news?"

"No, what happened Jou-kun?"

"Kaiba died last night. Really bad car accident."

"Wasn't it his birthday?"

"Yep. And get this, Mokuba came out perfectly fine. Kaiba's body had protected him from most of the damage."

"... Butterfly..." Yugi murmured, closing his eyes and sighing. Jou blinked over at him.

"Eh?"

"Ah, nothing Jounouchi."

"Oh. Yugi... are you _crying_? You okay bud?"

"... I'm fine... It's just sad, that's all."

"Ah, yeah..."

_Butterflies..._

~

Smile. Flash. Crash. Dead? No, no, no....

Smile. Sadness. Sorrow. **ROSE**. Pale Blue.

Like my brother's eyes, you know... Blue...

**_Beautiful..._**

**SETO.**

~

_Wow.. You need to kill me know.. This is the second time I killed Seto... ^_^; Yesh. REVIEW!_


End file.
